The operation of a pulsed-flame photometric detector is based on the periodic burning of a gas compound that continuously passes through the pulsed-flame photometric detector. An illustrative, but nonlimiting, example of pulsed-flame photometric detector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,673 that issued on Oct. 6, 1992 to Amirav, which is incorporated herein by reference. The gas compound is a mixture of combustible fuel or gases that typically includes air and hydrogen in a preferred proportion. There is a wire heated by electric current. This heated wire ignites the fuel compound to produce detectable emissions.
A crucial step in the set-up process is to calibrate the gas mixture. This typically requires a trained and experienced operator to set the gas flow rates. The gas flow rates can vary depending on the specific device, multiple design parameters, temperatures for the heated zones, geometry of the combustion chamber, and so forth.
When the self-ignition state is reached, the ignition, propagation and termination cycle is repeated in a pulsed, periodic fashion at a predetermined frequency. This is known as a stable, continuous cycle. The operator typically needs to perform a fine tuning operation to achieve this state. After the initial calibration, a specific compound is placed in the combustion chamber of the pulsed-flame photometric detector to provide the maximum amount of sensitivity and resolution for the operator.
Therefore, this is not only a time consuming process, but a trained and experienced operator is also required. The element of human error is also ever present. The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.